They are faces you’ve seen, but never like this. They’re families you’ve shared dinner with, women whose adventures you’ve read about, men who could be your neighbors — people you think you know.

That’s the point of Italian artist AleXsandro Palombo’s latest “social campaign,” No Violence Against Women, which calls attention to domestic abuse through the battered faces of famous cartoon women and their partners.

“I’ve decided to launch this new series because I wanted to give visibility to a problem that affects a great amount of women all over the world,” he told Metro in an email.

Palombo is known to make his points through cultural icons — he previously depicted fashion moguls including Vogue’s Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld wearing Bambi for an anti-fur ad. This time, he chose the familiar faces to make a point: that domestic violence is so prevalent, its victims and perpetrators could be anyone.

“Have you ever seen a very normal couple walking on the street, and then a glimpse of the woman’s face, bruised? In many cases, monsters are apparently very normal people,” he said.

According to a 2013 study published in the journal Science, more than 20 percent of women ages 15 and older in North America have suffered some form of violence by their boyfriend or husband.

Palombo is concerned about the commodification of women through advertising and fashion, a trend he wants to see reversed by nurturing respect. His art is intended to give a voice to domestic violence victims, as many may be ashamed to ask for help or believe the abuse is justified because of something they did, he said.

Breaking domestic violence laws, where they exist, should be met with severe punishment, Palombo said, but hopes his work inspires a more personal call to action: “In my opinion, [it] should be men themselves to fight against men who abuse women all over the world.”

It is estimated that there were 12.9 million incidents of domestic violence acts against women in the UK in 2013, and one project is aiming to throw the disturbing realities of the crime into the spotlight - all by using our favourite cartoon characters.

No Violence Against Women is a project by Italian artist and activist Alexsandro Palombo.

Alexsandro, who is based in Milan, uses characters from the Simpsons, Snow White, the Flintstones and Wonder Woman to highlight the plight some women go through while presenting the facade of a happy family life to the outside world.

Marge Simpson stands despondently with a black eye next to a grinning, vacant Homer. A trickle of blood comes from Lois Griffin’s nose as Peter drapes his arm around her. Wonder Woman has Superman’s hand clasped over her mouth, while Snow White lies seemingly unconscious at the feet of Prince Charming.

These illustrations are the work of an artist who has put a sinister spin on iconic animations in order to highlight the disturbing realities of domestic abuse.

No Violence Against Women is a project by Italian artist and activist AleXsandro Palombo, 40, who is based in Milan.

It forces its audience to confront the plight some women go through under the pretence of a happy relationship or family.

“I wanted to give visibility to a problem that affects a great amount of women all over the world,” he told MailOnline.

“Domestic violence is a problem so widespread that victims and perpetrators could be anyone. Even in couples that appear to be normal.”

The British Crime Survey estimates that there were 12.9 million incidents of domestic violence acts against women in the UK in 2013.

And according to Women’s Aid, one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, and between 6 and 10 per cent of women suffer domestic violence annually.

It is not the first time Palombo has produced provocative work.

After he lost his own leg two years ago, the artist published a project entitled Do You Still Like Us?, depicting Disney characters with wheelchairs, crutches and missing limbs, which raised awareness around the subject of people with disabilities.

Artist and activist AleXsandro Palombo hopes to encourage more victims to come forward

By ANNABEL FENWICK ELLIOTT

From the Simpsons and the Flintstones, to Snow White and Wonder Woman, one artist has put a disturbing spin on the animated lives of America's favorite cartoon characters.

No Violence Against Women is a project intended to throw the issue of domestic abuse into the spotlight, by forcing us to confront what goes on behind the happy veneer of many real-life families and relationships.

Italian artist and activist AleXsandro Palombo, 40, who is based in Milan, tells MailOnline: 'I wanted to give visibility to a problem that affects a great amount of women all over the world.'

The artist, who is famous for his thought-provoking satirical work, chose 'the most iconic cartoon characters of all time' to illustrate his point, and released the images in honor of International Women's Day earlier this year.

His cast includes a bloodied Snow White at the feet of Prince Charming and a battered Marge Simpson standing dejectedly next to her husband Homer, who, like fellow fictional patriarchs Fred Flintstone and Peter Griffin, grins vacantly beside his wife as if nothing is amiss.

The only male figure who looks conventionally menacing is Popeye, who wears his trademark scowl, and perhaps the smiling Fred Flintstone, who, on closer inspection, is gripping his baton shiftily behind his back.

One banner bears the stark question: 'What Kind of Man are You?'

Such challenging art generally sparks a divided response, but regardless of how the message is conveyed or received, violence against women remains a profound issue all over the world.

'Domestic violence is a problem so widespread that its victims and perpetrators could be anyone,' Mr Palombo says. 'Even in couples that appear to be normal.'

According to DomesticViolence, one woman in the U.S. is beaten or assaulted every nine seconds.

Furthermore, domestic violence is classed as the leading cause of injury to women in the U.S - more than car accidents, muggings, and sexual assaults combined.

And sadly, based on government reports, between 55per cent and 95per cent of women who have been physically abused by their partners never contact non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help.

For Mr Palombo, its not the first time Disney characters have appeared in his provocative work. Earlier this year, he published a project entitled Do You Still Like Us? - which saw Pocahontas, Cinderella and Snow White, amongst others, in wheelchairs or with crutches and missing limbs.

The artist, who lost his own leg to cancer two years ago, gained wide applause for raising awareness around the subject of people with disabilities.

Earlier works dive into the morally-fraught fashion world, including an image depicting Vogue editor Anna Wintour clutching a butcher's knife and a rabbit's head - a reference to her outspoken obsession with fur - and another which sees designer Victoria Beckham as a bikini-clad skeleton, entitled Anorexic Fashion Icon.